Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Apr 01/02) - The contentious issue of the assignment of harvesting rights has surfaced in Nunavut again.

This time, however, the topic is spreading beyond the Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association in Iqaluit.

The concept of assignment was developed to let Inuit elders or Inuit not able to hunt for themselves to assign their harvesting rights to a non-Inuk spouse to ensure a food source is available.

The matter is contentious because some HTA members around the territory are worried non-Inuit will harvest big game that carry quotas, like polar bears and whales. Non-Inuit territorial residents are only permitted to hunt small game under the land claims.

Responsibility for managing assignment was delegated to the HTAs and regional wildlife organizations by the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. While Amarok has led the way in developing policy governing assignment in recent years, Nunavut Tunngavik is beginning to take a more direct role as of late.

Robert Took-oome, who worked as the resource development officer at NTI, organized public meetings in Iqaluit and Rankin Inlet earlier this month.

Before NTI formulates a set of rules, it wants a clear picture of what Nunavummiut want to see in the policy.

"We wanted to hear from the beneficiaries on how the assignment of harvesting rights should be administered," said Tookoome.

A third meeting is scheduled for Cambridge Bay in the middle of April.

HTAs in communities located outside the regional centres are holding their own public consultations and forwarding the information to NTI.

"After that, we'll gather all the information and develop recommendations of standard policies and procedures for communities in Nunavut to administer the assignment of rights," said Tookoome.

He said NTI would respect the individual wishes of each community and allow them to develop regulations appropriate to residents.

Tookoome, who has since left NTI, said the organization wanted to have something in place by early fall.